St. Louis Browns
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Wikipedia-Article "St. Louis Browns"
- This article refers to the contemporary American major leage baseball team. For other meanings, see Baltimore Oriole (Disambiguation).
| Baltimore Orioles Established 1901 Based in Baltimore since 1954 |
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| World Series titles (3) | 1983 • 1970 • 1966 | ||||
| AL Pennants (7) | 1983 • 1979 • 1971 • 1970 1969 • 1966 • 1944 |
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| East Division titles (8) | 1997 • 1983 • 1979 • 1974 1973 • 1971 • 1970 • 1969 |
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| Wild card berths (1) | 1996 | ||||
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♦ - Hall of Famer
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| • This box contains major league affiliations only; National Association, Western League and other minor league affiliations are not included. • The "Established" date indicates when major league status was gained. • Post-seasons prior to 1903 are not included as they were regarded more as exhibitions. edit infobox | |||||
The Baltimore Orioles are a Major League Baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are in the Eastern Division of the American League. They are owned by attorney Peter Angelos.
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From the Browns to the Orioles
The modern Orioles can trace their franchise link back to the Milwaukee Brewers of the Western League, who in 1902 became the St. Louis Browns of the fledgling American League. Half a century of sub-par baseball and the existence of two major league teams in St. Louis - the AL Browns and the NL Cardinals - eventually forced Browns majority owner Bill Veeck to consider moving his franchise. Just before World War II, the Browns came close to moving to Los Angeles, nearly two decades before big league baseball eventually arrived in California.
During the war, the Browns won their only St. Louis based American League pennant in 1944, but they faced their local rivals, the more successful Cardinals, and lost the 1944 World Series, 4-2. They were one of only three teams at the time (the others being the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies) to have never won a World Series.
Following the 1953 season, Veeck sold his controlling interest to Clarence Miles, and the American League owners approved the relocation of the team to Baltimore. The team immediately took on the nickname "Orioles", a name with a long and storied history in the city:
- In the 1890s, a powerful and innovative National League Orioles squad included several future Hall of Famers, such as "Wee" Willie Keeler, Wilbert Robinson, Hughie Jennings and John McGraw. They won three straight pennants, and participated in all four of the Temple Cup Championship Series, winning the last two of them. That team had started as a charter member of the American Association in 1882. Despite its on-field success, it was one of the four teams contracted out of existence by the National League after the 1899 season. Its best players (and its manager, Ned Hanlon) regrouped with the Brooklyn Dodgers, turning that team into a contender.
- In 1901, Baltimore and McGraw were awarded an expansion franchise in the growing American League, but again the team was sacrificed in favor of a New York City franchise, as the team was transferred to the city in 1903. After some early struggles, that team eventually became baseball's most successful franchise - the New York Yankees.
- As a member of the high-minor league level International League, the Orioles competed at what is now known as the AAA level from 1903-1953. Baltimore's own George Herman Ruth - nicknamed "Babe" - pitched for the Orioles before being sold to the AL Boston Red Sox in 1916. The Orioles of the IL won several league championships, first a lengthy run in the 1910s and 1920s, and then dramatically in 1944, after they had lost their home field Oriole Park in a disastrous mid-season fire. The huge post-season crowds at their temporary home, Municipal Stadium, caught the attention of the big league brass and helped open the door to the return of major league baseball to Baltimore. Thanks to the big stadium, that "Junior World Series" easily outdrew the major league World Series which, coincidentally, included the team that would move to Baltimore 10 years later and take up occupancy in the rebuilt version of that big stadium.
The Oriole Way
The new AL Orioles took about six years to become competitive. By the early 1960's, stars such as Brooks Robinson, John "Boog" Powell, and Dave McNally were being developed by a strong farm system.
In 1966, the Orioles traded with the Cincinnati Reds and acquired slugging outfielder Frank Robinson. Robinson went on to become the first player to win the Most Valuable Player award in each league while hitting for the Triple Crown (leading the American League in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.) The Orioles won their first ever American League championship in 1966, and in a major upset, swept the World Series by out-dueling the Los Angeles Dodgers aces Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
The Orioles farm system had begun to produce a number of high quality players and coaches who formed the core of winning teams; from 1966 to 1983, the Orioles won three World Series titles (1966, 1970, and 1983), six American League pennants, and five of the first six American League Eastern Division titles. They played baseball the "Oriole Way", an organizational ethic best described by acerbic manager Earl Weaver as "pitching, defense, and the three run home run."
As the Robinson boys grew older, newer stars emerged including multiple Cy Young Award winner Jim Palmer and switch-hitting first baseman Eddie Murray. With the decline and eventual departure of two local teams - the NFL's Baltimore Colts and baseball's Washington Senators, the Orioles' excellence paid off at the gate, as the team cultivated a large and rabid fan base at old Memorial Stadium.
In 1981, Cal Ripken, Jr., the son of former Oriole player and manager Cal Ripken, Sr. joined the Orioles organization, and went on to become the face of the Oriole team until his retirement in 2001. While setting several records for offensive and defensive performance as a shortstop, Cal will be remembered most for his streak of consecutive games played. Ripken played in every game from May 30, 1982 until September 20, 1998, breaking Lou Gehrig's record by three full seasons.
1991 marked the last year in Memorial Stadium. The season itself was forgettable, perhaps best represented by Sam Horn's setting a major league record by being the first non-pitcher to strike out six times in a single game. This feat has been memorialized thereafter as a horn.
In 1992, with grand ceremony, the Orioles began their season in a brand new ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and thus retiring Memorial Stadium in the major league baseball world. In 1993, Peter Angelos bought the Baltimore Orioles, which returned the team to local ownership. However, Angelos' ownership resulted in a number of controversies. Angelos hired Pat Gillick as GM for the Orioles in 1995. Gillick went on to bring in several premium players like B.J. Surhoff, Randy Myers, and Roberto Alomar. Under Gillick and manager Davey Johnson, the Orioles made their first return trip to post-season play by winning the A.L. Wild Card spot in the 1996 season. The Orioles followed up by winning the A.L. East Division title in 1997. However, after the Orioles failed to advance to the World Series in either playoff, Johnson resigned as manager following a dispute with Angelos, with pitching coach Ray Miller taking his place. With Miller at the helm, the Orioles found themselves not only out of the playoffs, but also with a losing season. When Gillick's contract expired in 1998, it was not renewed. Angelos brought in Frank Wren to take over as GM. The Orioles added volatile slugger Albert Belle, but the team's woes continued in the 1999 season, with stars like Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, and Eric Davis leaving in free agency. After a second straight losing season, Angelos fired both Miller and Wren. He named Syd Thrift the new GM and brought in former Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove.
The 21st Century
Going into the 2006 season, the Orioles have had eight consecutive sub-.500 seasons - the combination of lackluster play of the team’s part, an inept owner, and the ascent of the Yankees and Red Sox to the top of the game - each rival having a clear advantage in financial flexibility due to their larger media market size. Further complicating the situation for the Orioles is the relocation of the Montreal Expos franchise to nearby Washington, D.C. - for which Angelos has demanded compensation from Major League Baseball (as opposed to doing something useful, like signing better pitchers). The new Washington Nationals threaten to carve into the Orioles fan base and television dollars. There is some hope that having competition in the larger Baltimore-Washington metro market will spur the Orioles to field a better product to compete for fans with the Nationals.
Beginning with the 2003 season, big changes began to sweep through the organization to try to snap the losing ways. General Manager Syd Thrift was fired and to replace him, the Orioles hired Jim Beattie as the Executive Vice President and Mike Flanagan as the Vice President of Baseball Operations. After another losing season, manager Mike Hargrove was not resigned and Yankees coach Lee Mazzilli was brought in as the new manager. The team signed powerful hitters in SS Miguel Tejada, C Javy Lopez, and former Oriole 1B Rafael Palmeiro. The following season, the Orioles traded for OF Sammy Sosa.
The 2005 Collapse
The 2005 season will likely go down as the most controversial in the Orioles' history. The Orioles began the season with a tremendous start, holding onto first place in the AL East division for 62 straight days. However, turmoil on and off the field began to take its toll as the team started struggling around the All-Star break, dropping them close to the surging Yankees and Red Sox. Injuries to Luis Matos, Javy Lopez, Brian Roberts, Sammy Sosa, and Larry Bigbie came within weeks of each other. The team was increasingly dissatisfied with the front office's and manager Lee Mazzilli's "band-aid" moves to help the team through this period of struggle. Various minor league players such as Single-A Frederick outfielder Jeff Fiorentino were brought up in place of more experienced players such as David Newhan, who batted a .311 the previous season.
On July 15, 2005, Rafael Palmeiro collected his 3,000th hit in Seattle, and was suspended for a violation of MLB's drug policy 15 days later, after testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol. The Orioles continued tumbling, falling out of first place and further down the AL East standings. This downfall cost Lee Mazzilli his managerial job midway through the season, allowing bench coach and 2003 managerial candidate Sam Perlozzo to take over as interim manager and lead the team to a 23-32 finish.
The Orioles' 30-62 second half record is, from a percentage standpoint, the worst in baseball history after playing .600 ball for the first 70 days. The club's major offseason acquisition, Sammy Sosa, posted his worst performance in a decade, with 14 homeruns and a .221 batting average. The Orioles did not attempt to resign him, considering his exorbitant salary, his miserable performance, and his stormy relationship with batting coach Terry Crowley and teammates including Miguel Tejada. The Orioles also allowed Rafael Palmeiro to file for free agency and publically stated they would not resign him.
2005 offseason
Following the disappointing 2005 season, it was clear major changes needed to be made within the Orioles. In the front office, Executive VP Jim Beattie was not re-signed, allowing Mike Flanagan to become the sole GM of the Orioles. Shortly after, Jim Duquette was hired as Vice President of Baseball Operations, which was Flanagan's previous position. Duquette made it clear at his signing that he reported to Flanagan, so the "two-headed GM" will not exist anymore. The Orioles also fired assistant General Manager Ed Kenney and asked for the resignation of Dave Ritterpusch, Director of Baseball Information Systems.
There was also drastic changes in the Orioles coaching staff. Perlozzo was named the new manager, and unlike Mazzilli, was given full freedom to name his coaching staff. Perlozzo led off strong by convincing Atlanta pitching coach Leo Mazzone to become the pitching coach for the Orioles. He retained hitting coach Terry Crowley and first base coach Dave Cash. Former base coach Rick Dempsey was named the bullpen coach, with Tom Trebelhorn resuming third base coach. Perlozzo rounded out his staff with former Cubs and Phillies manager Lee Elia as the bench coach.
The roster changes of the 2005 offseason began with the decisions to allow Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro go in free agency. The Orioles compiled an extensive wishlist in free agency, with their top priorities being to resign closer BJ Ryan, and fill holes at 1B, OF, and the starting pitching rotation. Despite the changes in the front office, the 2005 offseason began just as dissapointingly as the offseason of 2004, with BJ Ryan choosing to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles also made a late attempt to sign slugging 1B Paul Konerko, who decided to remain with the Chicago White Sox. The Orioles targeted Paul Byrd in free agency, but mysteriously withdrew their offer when Byrd began to visit other teams. At Baseball's annual Winter Meetings, the Orioles traded disgruntled reliever Steve Kline for LaTroy Hawkins. However, the Orioles lack of movement to get a starting pitcher frustrated many, including Miguel Tejada. Tejada said in an interview that he came to Baltimore to play on a winning team, and if the team won't upgrade their starting pitching, they're essentially saying they don't want to compete. In the interview Tejada said he would like a "change of scenery" if the Orioles did not prove to Tejada that they were intent on winning. After these comments the Orioles received many trade offers for Tejada. It was rumored that the Red Sox offered All-Star Outfielder Manny Ramirez for, though no Orioles officials confirmed this. As a reply to the Tejada comments, the Orioles signed C Ramon Hernandez. Ramon and Miguel are godfathers of each others' sons. Also, in a press conference Hernandez said that he and Tejada are "best friends". On December 20th, the Orioles reached a one year deal to bring 1B/OF Jeff Conine back to the Orioles, though it has not been officially announced yet.
The Orioles are still looking at players in free agency and potential trades. With the Hernandez signing, C Javy Lopez has become expendable. He could play catcher, 1st base, and DH. He could also be traded for either a starting pitcher or a power hitting OF. The Orioles would also like to add an OF in free agency and continue to look at several players.
The Orioles are taking a very cautious approach in free agency, looking for "stop gap" players at several positions instead of dealing successful minor league prospects like OF Nick Markakis, OF Val Majewski, 1B Walter Young, SP Hayden Penn, and RP Chris Ray, who are close to making large impacts at the major league level. An interesting position for the O's this offseason is that of closer. The Orioles traded for closer LaTroy Hawkins from the San Francisco Giants. Ray is believed to have the best chance to start the season as the Orioles closer due to his age and future potential. Hawkins as well as Jorge Julio are believed to have a chance at closing for the Birds in 2006.
It was reported recently that the Orioles are very close to signing slugging oufielder Jeromy Burnitz. Burnitz would play Left Fielder as his natural position of rightfield is already filled by Jay Gibbons. The signing of Burnitz would fill a hole in the otfield and in the middle of the lineup for the Os. Burnitz hit 24 HRs for the Chicago Cubs last year where he was a replacement for Sammy Sosa. The year before he hit 37 though he was playing in Colorado.
"O!"
Since the 1970s, it has been a tradition at Orioles games for fans to accent the line of "Oh say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave" in the The Star Spangled Banner by yelling "O!" This tradition carries on to this day. Some consider the yell to be disrespectful to the national anthem.
The tradition is so strong and beloved, that it is carried out at many other sporting events, both professional and not, throughout the Baltimore/Washington area. Notably at Washington Capitals games, where it is sometimes changed to "Olie!" in honor of longtime Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig. The tradition has also sparked many high schools and univerisities in the Baltimore/Washington area to ask crowds to not do the chant while the national anthem is sung. (to little effect)
The "O!" created a bit of controversy in the summer of 2005 when hundreds of fans every night would do the "O!" cry at Washington Nationals games at RFK Stadium. Many believed that the cry was out-of-place at RFK, while many insisted that many Washingtonians were still Orioles fans and the chant was welcome at Nats games. A June 10, 2005 story on the front-page of The Washington Post by David Fahrenthold chronicled this debate.
Music
The seventh inning stretch after "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" features John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy". Traditionally after an Orioles victory, the song, "Twist and Shout" will be played.
Songs featured between innings include Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer".
Songs that are no longer featured include "You're the One That I Want".
Special events songs include "One Moment in Time" for Cal Ripken's record-breaking game. For his last game, the theme from Pearl Harbor, "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill, was featured.
The World Baseball Classic
- In March of 2006 the World Baseball Classic will be held.
- This is a competition featuring 16 teams from around the world participating in a baseball tournament
- It will take place around the globe and last 17 days.
- The Orioles have more players participating in the WBC then any other MLB team.
- These 9 players are:
- John Stephens Relief Pitcher Australia,
- Bruce Chen Starting Pitcher Panama,
- Rodrigo Lopez Starting Pitcher Mexico,
- Melvin Mora Third Baseman Venezuela,
- Daniel Cabrera Starting Pitcher Dominican Republic,
- Miguel Tejada Shortstop Dominican Republic,
- Erik Bedard Starting Pitcher Canada,
- Adam Loewen Starting Pitcher Canada,
- Luis Matos Center Fielder Puerto Rico,
Quick facts
- Founded: 1893, as the Milwaukee, Wisconsin franchise in the minor Western League. In 1900 that league became the American League, which achieved major league status in 1901.
- Formerly known as: Milwaukee Brewers, 1894-1901. St. Louis Browns, 1902-1953.
- Home ballpark: Oriole Park at Camden Yards 1992-present
- Prior home parks: Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) 1954-1991, Sportsman's Park (St. Louis)
- Uniform colors: Black and Orange
- Logo design: An oriole bird
- Playoff appearances (11): 1944, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1996, 1997
Baseball Hall of Famers
- Luis Aparicio
- Jesse Burkett (St. Louis Browns)
- Hugh Duffy (Milwaukee Brewers)
- Rick Ferrell (St. Louis Browns)
- Goose Goslin (St. Louis Browns)
- Rogers Hornsby (St. Louis Browns)
- Reggie Jackson
- George Kell
- Heinie Manush (St. Louis Browns)
- Eddie Murray
- Jim Palmer
- Branch Rickey (St. Louis Browns)
- Robin Roberts
- Brooks Robinson
- Frank Robinson
- George Sisler (St. Louis Browns)
- Rube Waddell (St. Louis Browns)
- Bobby Wallace (St. Louis Browns)
- Earl Weaver
- Hoyt Wilhelm
Retired Numbers
- 4 Earl Weaver, manager, 1968-82 & 1985-86
- 5 Brooks Robinson, 3B, 1955-77
- 8 Cal Ripken, Jr., SS-3B, 1981-2001
- 20 Frank Robinson, OF, 1966-71; manager, 1988-91
- 22 Jim Palmer, P, 1965-84
- 33 Eddie Murray, 1B, 1977-88 & 1996
Current roster
The 40-man roster is comprised of all of the players on the 25-man roster, anyone who is on the 15-day disabled list, and minor leaguers who usually have played three or more professional seasons.
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Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager Coaches
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Minor league affiliations
- AAA: Ottawa Lynx, International League
- AA: Bowie Baysox, Eastern League
- Advanced A: Frederick Keys, Carolina League
- A: Delmarva Shorebirds, South Atlantic League
- Short A: Aberdeen IronBirds, New York-Penn League
- Rookie: Bluefield Orioles, Appalachian League
- Rookie: VSL Orioles, Venezuelan Summer League
See also
- Orioles award winners and league leaders
- Orioles statistical records and milestone achievements
- Orioles players of note
- Orioles broadcasters and media
- Orioles managers and ownership
External links
- Baltimore Orioles official web site
- Orioles Hangout - Orioles fan site
- Baltimore Orioles News (link expired)
- Baltimore Orioles Baseball Fan Blog (link expired)